Gavin Boyd - The Eklektiks - Alhambra Show Snippet - Jun 2008

Biography of Gavin Boyd

He’s won awards, opened shows for the world’s hottest Hip-Hop/R&B/Soul artists, rocked nightclubs up and down Australia’s East Coast, co-hosted Australia’s longest running urban radio show and earned the respect of his peers and industry professionals.

In the short period of seven years, Gavin Boyd (AKA DJ Big Boyd) has gone from winning turntablism competitions (QLD ITF Champion 2003/Stanton Central Station Battle 2002) to judging them (QLD DMC Championships and 2006 QLD Scribble Jam), gone from opening sets at local clubs to headlining at cutting edge Hip-Hop/R&B clubs around Australia – Gavin Boyd has evolved into a true “Triple Threat” DJ, mastering roles as a Turntablist, Battle DJ and Club Rocker! He has built a career on bringing people the latest joints mixed seamlessly – whether it be Hip-Hop, R&B, Dancehall, Soul, Funk, House or Pop.

Gavin Boyd has also moved up the ladder with his radio career too – going from just an avid listener to head programmer/producer/co-host and mixshow DJ (“15 Minutes of Fame”) of Australia’s longest running urban music radio show - Blackbeat Radio Show (4ZZZ 102.1fm 8pm-10pm Sunday Night's).

With his experience and diverse influences, Gavin Boyd has taken himself to the upper echelon of DJs in Australia, becoming the #1 Hip-Hop/R&B club DJ in Queensland and without doubt amongst the best in Australia.

Now, you may have noticed that there’s no big names mentioned here but if you want us to name names then… Supported: Busta Rhymes + The Flipmode Squad, Method Man + Redman, Cypress Hill, Mobb Deep, 40 Glocc (G-Unit), Horace Brown, Expansion Team Soundsystem: DJ Babu (Beat Junkies) + Rakaa Iriscience (Dilated Peoples), Rahzel & DJ JS-1, Tony Touch, Rahsaan Patterson, Next, DJ Kool, ?ueslove (The Roots), Wajeed (Platinum Pied Pipers), Stacey Kidd (MAW/Defected), Rhythm Dhol Bass (UK), DJ Melo D + DJ Shortkut (Beat Junkies), The Alchemist, DJ Vlad (U.S.), DJ Whoo Kid (G-Unit), DJ Rectangle, Scribe, Savage + Mareko (Deceptikonz), Jade McRae, Daniel Merriweather, Maya Jupiter, Jeremy Gregory, Israel, J-Wess, Selwyn, Bliss 'n' Eso, Weapon X + Ken Hell, Phrase, Figgkidd, Frontline (NZ), Random, Kyle, Camielle, Sleek the Elite (Fat Pizza) and Yara Neto. Official After-Parties: 50 Cent & G-Unit, Kanye West, De La Soul, Missy Elliot, Destiny’s Child, Chingy, Lil' Jon + BME All-Stars (Lil' Scrappy, Bohagon + Stay Fresh), RZA (Wu-Tang Clan), Blu Cantrell, Ja Rule (x2) and Craig David. Not to forget events such as 2004 Technics DMC QLD Final (performed and judged), 2006 Scribble Jam (QLD judge), Good Vibrations Festival and BBQ Breaks.

If you would like a taste of what Gavin Boyd has to offer, head to www.blackbeat.com.au, then contact him via gavin@blackbeat.com.au or +61 404 677 861 to book him for your next event.

Kristian Hernandez - The Eklektiks - Alhambra Show Snippet - Jun 2008

Biography of Kristian Hernandez

Kristian Hernandez Pop quiz hot shot : what do the groups Regurgitator, Zephyr Timbre and Soma Rasa all have in common? Besides being raised in the bright Brisbane sunshine, all three of these highly respected Australian groups choose to work and collaborate with the same talented turntablist - Kristian Hernandez.

Hernandez, who took out the third position for QLD in the Inthemix Top 50 DJ Poll (which is voted for by the public), is a gifted DJ who has quickly earned a reputation as one of Australia's talents through his phenomenal and exciting live shows. His musical style skips through Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Jazz, Breaks, Drum and Bass and House, with a mastery of each that would make most DJs jealous.

Whether he is dropping a Hip Hop vocal or a rolling Drum and Bass baseline, Hernandez has an uncanny knack of reading audiences and adapting his style to suit the mood of any crowd. It is a technique that is rare in the world of DJing and is reflected in the diversity of the acts he has supported. From The Black Eyed Peas, Public Enemy, De La Soul, DJ Craze, Roger Sanchez and Felix Da House Cat through to Moby, Basement Jaxx, Gang Starr, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Miguel Migs, Norman Jay, Mark Rae, Mix Master Mike and Carl Cox.

If a respected musician has toured through Australia, chances are Hernandez has supported them. Hernandez has also taken this talent and showcased it around the world, not only touring with Soma Rasa and Regurgitator, but also performing outstanding solo shows throughout the world.Hernandez is a two-time winner of the Aust. state DMC Championships has been cutting up dance floors around the country and internationally for the past few years.

As well as pushing new sounds inside the Clubs and at Festivals, Hernandez is also the host of Australia's longest running Hip-Hop, Soul, Funk and R and B Radio show, Blackbeat on 4ZZZ FM in Brisbane (you can check it out at www.blackbeat.com.au). Add to that a solid reputation for consistently crafting fantastic live sets with seamless mixing, Turntablism skills and an incredible record selection, and you have a truly talented musician.
Krisitan Hernandez is always one to innovate, not to mention the brains behind Audio K, Heavy Boogie, and the EKLEKTIKS, an evolving live concept where Hernandez is joined on stage by various live musicians and other DJs. For Kristian, it's all about keeping it interesting and extremely diverse. Whether he is performing in a band, battling as a turntabilist or playing a solo headlining DJ set, Hernandez's varied musical tastes never fail to impress. His chameleon like ability to adapt to a crowd (not to mention a style) is a rare and desired talent that will see this talented DJ go far.

http://www.myspace.com/heavyhernandez